P.K. : An extremely likeable story of a lost Alien!!

Rajkumar Hirani truly has carved a niche for himself, as the finest film makers of our time, his penchant for Hrishikesh Mukherji’s films are quite evident in his always structured narrative and his eagerness to strike a chord with the middle class audience (quite evident from his Munnabhai series itself). This time though he, along with Abhijat Joshi etches out a story within a ‘believable, yet at times hard to digest’ fairy tale premise moving forth and turning into a philosophical one on God and Godsman & the diversity of all religions put together without being too preachy, blending effectively the right aggregates of humour, romance, affection, heart- wrenching moments & a logic that is required in the present scenario (Sangh Parivar ‘RSS’ adarsh???)

Aamir Khan is exceptional! PK is an irresistibly goofy character . He laughs with his protruding goblin-ears and walks around with his arched eyebrows, emerald bulging eyes on high-beam that hardly blinks throughout the film, speaks Bhojpuri, learned (or rather, transmitted to him ) from a prostitute after spending 6 hrs with her, with blood-red lips from permanently chewing paan. but his transformation isn’t restricted to the physical — like the skittish way he runs, his arms straight by his side with palms stuck out (reminiscent of Steve Carrell in Little Miss Sunshine) . With his one-shot gags and child like exuberance PK wins us over with sheer heart! . But just when you are enjoying the first half with its facetious moments, the second half with its uneven editing turns out to be quite a sore point, especially when you are served a platter full of PK’s delightful witty charm in the first half.

Rajkumar Hirani certainly knows how to connect emotions and give away a social message. He is a master craftsman, he knows how to cleverly merge scenes with irony, like the one in which PK arrives at a church alter service with a pooja ki thali, or one in which he attempts to enter a mosque bearing bottles of red wine. Anushka Sharma as the narrator with her golden brown pixie cut is bubbly as Jagat Janini (Jaggu) & vulnerable, although her pout looks like a goldfish. She is fascinated by PK’s idiosyncracies on her very first meeting with him at the metro train. Sanjay Dutt turns out in a very brief but effective cameo, though Hirani’s all time favourite Boman Irani doesn’t get much scope except his dig at the marks on his bum.

Few hitches like the sudden, ‘out of the blue’ affection weaving between Aamir and Anushka seemed entirely out of the place, also because at the very beginning we are served with the effervescent chemistry between Jaggu and Sarfaraz (brief role by Sushant Singh Rajput, yet a prime catalyst to the main narrative). The battery recharge dance portion was cute, though un effective to the main proceedings . Also the live telecast between the ‘one on one’ between PK with the religious guru (played brilliantly by Saurabh Shukla) was not so interesting, probably because Hirani didn’t want to strike an uncanny resemblance with last year’s Oh My God’s courtroom portions. But the climax was perfect with PK returning to earth one year later with a new research team, including Ranbir Kapoor as his alien student. Go for it!!

Love...moments..always, forever!!

And so, you start listening to some extreme mushy,lovey dovey, streaming guitar chords sorta love songs, even if the lyrics do not, in any way, relate to you! And all you do is think about 'him' while listening to it ( those 'awww'' blush moments !), catch yourself smiling for no obvious reason, everything feels just right around you and nothing else seems to appear or bother you (although in reality, everything might be just topsy turvy!)

And the entire time you had spend texting and posting this status...'HE' was always on your mind!

It goes on, the same feelings, comes and goes..and no matter how much you try, you can't escape put of it! Do we seriously, ever, grow up???? umm...well, i should ask an 80 yr old instead! :)

The Object of my Affection : A frothy Gay-Straight Love story !!

While the friendship between a gay man and a straight woman turned out to be the surprising selling point of Julia Roberts' starrer "My Best Friend's Wedding." , "The Object of My Affection," is a less frothy and more honest portrait of a loving relationship between room-mates (one gay, the other straight), almost reminding you of the quirky television series 'Will & Grace'. Jennifer Aniston surprises you with a mature, restrained performance.

I was particularly impressed with the scene where Aniston and Rudd almost slept together. I think it was a brave move, considering that it ,ight had viewers wondering why, if there was enough attraction to do it once why there wasn't enough for them to be together, and it acknowledged that a person does not have to be a strict heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual; it is possible to be predominantly hetero- or homosexual but still have some attraction, however small, for the unprefered sex. It was also a demonstration of just how much Rudd's character cared for Aniston's, that he even considered sleeping with her despite very little attraction (or perhaps none), which just reinforced to me that his character was not just looking for sex in a relationship. He was willing to do almost anything to make her happy; fortunately, he didn't do "anything", although that certainly would have made for an interesting plot twist.

Nigel Hawthorne does a brilliant job of portraying the sadness and loneliness of an older man who must learn to tolerate his pretty young gay protégé seeking out another man. The pain he felt at his lover's betrayal was genuine. As was his admonition to Nina, "Don't fix your life so that you're left alone right as you come to the middle of it.", came from a deep knowing place.And thank god! there aren't any usual gay stereotyped characters in the film.

The ending was a little too rushed and neat, but I am in favour of happy endings; I just wished they'd gotten there a little more slowly.

Rodney Fraser best dialogue in the film :

"I don't think one should be too hard on oneself if the object of one's affection returns the favor with less enthusiasm than one might have hoped."

RUPKATHA NOY : A fine script!

One of the finest films of last year, Rupkatha Noy is all about good story telling! A well knit screenplay coupled with some crisp editing, the film revolves around an old man with a constant urge to look out for thrills in the nitty-gritty of everyday life, propels him to reach out to some lost souls, sitting in a park, listening to & lending a helping hand while changing their respective lives in the process. Also noteworthy is the fact that the director cleverly stays away from unnecessary dialogues throughout the film, which makes it for a more compelling watch. None of the scenes or moments seem monotonus. Though the film belongs to Soumitra Chatterjee but the girls (all three of them- Radhika Apte, Sohini Sarkar, Nina Chakraborty) are equally brilliant in the film. Wonderful to see Radhika Apte with such a nuanced performance, such a fine actor! And glad to see that her dubbing had been done really well this time (unlike Antaheen) Special mention to Anwesha Gupta's beautiful number 'Saara din saara raat'.

She smiles through Boba Tunnel...

In Chotushkone, Koneenica hardly had a significant role, her plot doesn't add up much to the plot anyway. Few dialogues, yet her character, even in that short frame leaves such an impact! And in Boba Tunnel, her character, Shree comes out so fluently! Here's a girl, involved with a man (Diptyo) almost her father's age. We hardly notice any emotional bond between the two. Also because Diptyo, somewhere deep in his heart, still craves for his ex flame, the aging superstar/director Trina. Shree strikes a bond with Diptyo's son, after an initial heated argument, they eventually bond over a joint-roll and a song. 

And then there's a brilliant shot, where, post sex, she is lying next to Diptyo in bed, while Diptyo watches a yesteryear B&W film starring Trina on tv, totally oblivious to Shree's presence next to him, she is lying with her face turned towards the opposite side with a content smile masked all over her face, the contentment of probably finding something or someone she had been looking for in Diptyo, but which she eventually,(unexpectedly) found in someone else!
More than half of the credit for the song 'boba tunnel' should go to Koneenica Banerjee for her charming, effortless act.Watch out for her exuberance flowing throughout the song. No lip sync, no melodrama! Just gyrating to the song in her own way! The twinkle in her eyes and body language speaks so much! A perfect execution of a song on screen does not always mean a Sanjay Leela Bhansali marka opulence, what i look out for is the actor / actors involved in the song, who are atleast capable of letting themselves go with the flow of the music, the rhythm, while specifically working on their eye movements, body language and gestures and that do not always require lip syncing with the tune at all!
Few of my friends said that this sub plot was unnecessary, but i'd say this almost a 'quadrangle' between Diptyo, Shree, Trina and Trina's husband Moloy (still working out to ignite the long lost flame ) might not add up to the larger frame of the storyline but nevertheless, it had its own sweet moment. Watch out for Barun Chanda (as Moloy) in the last frame of the movie when he looks back once with an almost 'waving goodbye' smile while his wife weeps over her ex boyfriend's shoulder.

DAAWAT-E-ISHQ : Serving some well succulent kababs but alas! not a hot steamy Biryani !!

At one point in the film Gulrez tells the garishly flamboyant Tariq ‘ you are a high school drop out, your english is pathetic, you wear tacky shirts , chew paan and burp!’, well but that’s not evident in the film though! And that's what was probably essential in Tariq’s character that could have worked out more so if he was made more vacuous rather than the ‘laugh a loud, good at heart lucknovi chap. Their hasn't been enough timing for the romance to develop between the lead players hence you don’t feel bad for Tariq when he is betrayed by Gulrez.

Having said that, Aditya Roy Kapoor is likeable & attractive,no longer camera conscious or droopy (like his previous projects), he shines as the robust kohl-eyed Tariq. 

Parineeti Chopra with her spontaneity & vivaciousness evident from her very first film is sadly restricted here within this regular glamour doll image with huge dollops of make-up, pan cake and flashy attire,not at ease ,at times, misfit to her character Gulrez! Save for that Hyderabadi accent slipping and falling back into place every now, the dynamics of Parineeti’s role isn’t all that we haven't seen before, but nevertheless, she is always a delight to watch!

It’s a light hearted film focussing on the menace aka dowry, the misuse of section 498A & a father-daughter duo’s plan to con a rich guy who demands a hefty dowry forms the basic premise of the film. The actors should have undergone some strict workshop sessions to get their hyderabadi & lucknowi accent correct, or maybe a few lessons from Shabana Azmi’s Mandi ! The father and daughter’s big, well executed con job is lame and unbelievable! Tv actor Karan Wahi is so bland in the film that one wonders whether he is just out of a drug rehab centre with that anorexic frame and excess baggage under his eyes. Anupam Kher is a delight to watch and it’s good to see him in a charming role after a long time.

The note able landmarks of Hyderabad – Charminar (the film starts with it as the background), Hussain Sagar and Nehru Zoological Park making way for Lucknow’s grand Bara Imambara, Rumi Darwaza and bustling Aminabad in the second half, unfortunately, hasn’t been utilized properly by the DOP . Sajid-Wajid’s dragging soundtrack, a reminiscence of the 90’s tracks is such a waste barring the title track which has been utilized well into the narrative with some yummy cuisines on display. The film is surely one time watchable because of the sparkling screen presence of the lead cast and Anupam Kher . A much tighter screenplay could have made a lot of difference to the narrative.

MARY COM (review) : Mother Mary shines!!

In one scene, the selectors at a boxing event unfairly rewards and selects Mary Kom’s opponent (hailing from Haryana) and Mary throws a chair at them yelling ‘You did that to me just because I hail from Manipur’. Those who have suffered, can feel her frustration and hurt. In yet another scene, Priyanka is seen cut-pasting newspaper clips while her baby rests on her side over a pile of newspapers featuring her on the front pages, eventually when the baby soils those papers wet, she crunches the papers and throws them away. The movie brings out some noteworthy issues like the plight of our sports stars,who despite winning medals for our country, face poor treatment at the central officials' hands and sometimes have to sell their medals in order to survive, also the opportunist and vindictive federation officials in India who make it almost impossible for people who hail from the north eastern part of our country to make it big!

But i have a complaint, when u say you are making a biopic it means you are trying to tell the life story of a person and present it on celluloid just ‘as it is’! But if you take cinematic liberties in re-telling your story keeping the box office in mind, then why not say ‘inspired by a boxing champion’s life, rather than ‘a biopic’? (i had the same feeling while watching ‘The Dirty Picture’!) For example , here director Omung Kumar while trying to get the tear ducts flowing, resorts to same old gimmicks like showing Mary Kom’s son almost dying in the hospital while she is in the finals of the World Championship, which did not happen in real Mary Kom's life at all! Hence the film becomes an entertainer as it treads & weaves her life story look like a film's script, complete with her early year’s struggles, victories, familial conflicts, the hardcore training sessions, and the amazing comeback post motherhood.

The film is possibly let down by the pathetic dubbing artists! Instead, the actors should have dubbed themselves which might have kept the Manipuri-hindi accent intact, adding more flavor. And when shall our film makers stop promoting products through their films (iodex and sugar free in this case!!)
Another let down in the film comes in the form of some unnecessary songs turning up every now and then!
Priyanka shines as mary kom, totally committed to her role even though her physical appearance is nothing like the real-life Mary Kom, Chopra manages to get inside the skin of her character, and gives you a couple of genuine praise worthy moments, but we know she is capable of that,she has done that before, so even though mary kom is yet another feather to her shining cap, the cap still shines brighter with her roles from Barfi , Fashion or Aitraaz ! The rest of the cast is just about okay!